Leaders of innovation centers that attract visitors from a broader range of industries also emphasize the importance of performance measurement even when the metrics are necessarily less
precise. “The number-one thing we’re measuring
is our impact on our clients’ ability to transform
digitally,” Driggs asserts. He and his team also
monitor the how wavespace activities influence
EY’s brand as a firm that helps clients digitally
transform and deliver innovation.

At KPMG’s Denver ignition Center, Trebino
tracks most of the same metrics—opportunities
being pursued, wins, revenue, consultant utilization rates, etc.—that he would use to manage one
of the firm’s traditional consulting offices. And he
frequently compares his ignition center’s performance to the performance of some of the firm’s
traditional offices. Notably, Trebino also places
great emphasis on the results from the engagement surveys that Ignition Center consultants
periodically complete. “We take those very seriously,” he asserts. That emphasis shows the value
that the firm ascribes to its ignition centers from a
recruiting/employer-of-choice perspective.

These types of measures will be important as the
returns on firms’ investment in innovation centers
take shape in the coming months and years. Today,
many firms appear eager to increase their investment in this not-inexpensive capital, and leaders of
these innovation hubs sound extremely optimistic
about their offerings. Clarke reports that there is a
months-long waiting list for sessions within PwC’s
experience centers. “It’s been inspiring to watch
how this has all unfolded,” he says, “and I’m really
proud to be part of this team.”

The extent to which this type of client interest
and internal optimism sustains seems dependent
on how firms address some important questions
in several key areas, including:

F How much are firms willing to invest in real estate,and for how long? Many consulting organizations,

especially partnerships, are not financially structured
for capital investments. Although some innovation
center leaders emphasize that they have ways to stretch
their design and building dollars, these facilities cost
significantly more than traditional office space.

F Which purpose will prevail? Consulting leaders
identify a range of different objectives for their
innovation centers, including marketing and branding,
opening clients’ eyes (and wallets) to more ambitious
changes, assisting with digital transformation (broadly
or in specific sectors), incubating start-ups and
ecosystems, and showing clients how to innovate and
incubate. Which one or two of these goals will provide
the most tangible returns?

F How does space scale? Larger firms—even those
with numerous innovation hubs—can only invite a
fraction of their clients to innovation center programs
and events. While high-value clients are no doubt at
the front of the line (and waiting lists), firms will need
to figure out how to run much larger numbers of clients
through their hubs if facility-based interactions begin
leading to more and/or more lucrative engagements.

Consulting leaders uniformly report that their
clients are eager to participate in innovation center
events and workshops, which is a positive sign for
a new investment that, thanks to its very nature, is
designed to be adapted to address changing business conditions, technology disruptions and client
needs. One new offering that innovation center
leaders may already be considering relates to the
design and construction of innovation spaces.

Trebino recently caught up with a client that
told him the company was considering redesigning its own office space, in part, because of the experience some of its leaders enjoyed at the ignition
center. “We’re seeing a lot of change in our client
base in terms of the way they work, and even how
they’re building, or renovating, office space,” he
adds. “We’re starting to help them think through
that and learn from what we learned.”